The La Spezia-Rimini Line: Where Italian Varieties Collide
Where in the boot is your favorite dialect?
by Brian Alcamo
Two Italian families. Irreconcilable differences. Stop me before I start performing the entire plot of Romeo and Juliet. Epic theater aside, the set up for the iconic Shakespeare piece is also a good way to begin looking at the linguistic makeup of the Italian peninsula. Here’s what I mean.
Italian is a divided language. It is not a language defined by its country’s borders. The country’s culture is often described as campanilismo, which roughly translates to “a culture defined by bell towers.” This is to say that Italian culture and language can be highly fractured, all the way down to the neighborhood level. This is s the reason so many American travelers struggle to find a good cannolo north of Sicily. But it’s also part of the reason why Italy’s linguistic variation takes on a sharp divide a few miles north of Florence.
The La Spezia Rimini Line
A map of Italian dialects, with the La Spezia-Rimini Line in Black
The La Spezia-Rimini Line runs between the Italian towns of, you guessed it, La Spezia and Rimini. This line is an isogloss, which is a fancy word for a geographical boundary between linguistic features. The line is also sometimes referred to as the Massa-Senigallia Line, depending on whether or not the person wants to draw the line along traditional regional boundaries.
Languages north of the line exhibit features more similar to Western Romance languages (which include Spanish, French, and Catalan), while languages south of the line exhibit features more similar to Southern and Eastern Romance languages (Italian and Romanian, in particular).
Other less familiar languages that fall along these lines are Lombard, Venetian, and Piedmontese on the Western Romance side. Standard Italian, Neapolitan, and Roman fall on the Eastern Side. These languages can be divided further into two separate families, one being Gallo-Italic (North of the Line) and the other being Italo-Dalmatian (South of the Line).
This linguistic division is found in a few ways speakers pronounce words, with one of the largest distinctions being double consonants. Double consonants, or geminates, are a big part of standard Italian. They’re found in words like gemelli (twins), accademia (academy), and troppo (too much). Geminates can be kind of a pain for English-native Italian learners. They’re difficult to identify with the untrained ear, and are even harder to reproduce with an untrained mouth. If anyone ever comments on your mispronounced consonanti doppie, just tell them that your practicing your Lombard. North of the La Spezia-Rimini Line, these double consonants often become single. Other differences that you might pick up on north of this isogloss include: the dropping of word-final vowels (mano becomes man), forming plurals using the letter -s instead of changing the vowel, and pronouncing the letter c as an -s instead of a “ch” before the vowels i and e.
All of these differences are only present on the dialect level for the most part. Dialects are not the same as accents, so an Italian speaker from Milan will still form their plurals by changing a word’s final vowel. They’ll also most likely perfectly pronounce a double consonant if given the chance.
What Does This Mean For Italian?
As Italian standardizes and the world globalizes, these distinctions continue to erode. However, they provide a fun way to begin to think about the connection between geography and language. Italian is a young country, having only become a nation-state in 1861. There are still traces of its regional past everywhere. Although there won’t be any fanfare when you cross the La Spezia-Rimini line, be sure to pay more attention to the speech differences depending on where your conversation partner is from. In addition to practicing your listening skills, you’ll be sure to feel like a linguistic detective.
Thanks For Reading!
Where’s your favorite Italian speaker from? Do you think their dialect might be a little different from “textbook” Italian? Comment below, and be sure to give this post a heart!
(Thumbnail photo by Dominik Dancs)
"What's a muzzadell?" Exploring Italian American Food Vocabulary
Have you ever wondered why the Italian at your deli is different from the Italian in your textbook?
by Brian Alcamo
Let me describe to you a feeling that anyone who appreciates Italian culture has felt.
A few times, my grandpa has brought over “banellis”, a fried chickpea pancake of sorts. They’re delicious, and can be dressed up in a multitude of savory flavorings (or sweet, if you’re looking to go against your nonna’s traditions). They’re the kind of treat that’s hearty enough to trick yourself into thinking they’re healthy.
This summer, my grandpa once again brought us some “banellis” from his favorite deli in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and I was reminded of how delicious they were. After having bought upwards of 10 pounds of chickpeas at the beginning of quarantine out of fear of not being able to go to the grocery store, I wanted to try to make “benellis” on my own.
Naturally, I went to Google. It turns out that “banelli” is the name of a rifle company, not a dense Italian pastry. I searched for “banelli chickpea” and had to scroll a bit before I could find what I was looking for: Panelle. It turns out that panelle (singular: panella) are “chickpea fritters,” and are a popular street food in Palermo, the capital and largest city in Sicily. The word is pronounced in Italian as [panelle]. Happy with my successful search, I still felt the unwelcome sentiment of being an uncultured American(o). Why can’t I just be from Italy? Why is this panelle so different from how my grandpa and other Italian Americans pronounce the word [bəneli]? The answer lies in which Italians came to America, and how their dialects differ from standard Italian.
A Brief History of Italian In the US
From the late 19th to the mid 20th century, the US saw huge numbers of Italians arriving to escape poverty, stake their claim, and try to live out the American dream. Many of these Italians came from Southern Italy and Sicily, bringing with them their non-standard regional varieties of Italian. Standard Italian was derived from the Florentine dialect of central Italy, thus the sounds and vocabulary shipping over to the US were slightly (sometimes drastically) different. For example, Sicilian is considered by many to even be a separate language. In addition to Latin, it has myriad other influences due to its changes in ruling class over the centuries. Some of these influences include Greek, Arabic, French, Catalan, and Spanish. Sicilian isn’t even the only Southern dialect, and many others such as Neapolitan and Calabrese found their way to the US as well.
All of these tiny linguistic differences combined with the influence of American English create a perfect recipe for vast differences in pronunciation across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, these differences were not always viewed with prestige. James Pasto, in his paper “Goombish” says that “Southern Italians came to the United States speaking already stigmatized dialects, developing a short-lived hybrid, Italgish, that was also stigmatized by speakers of both standardized English and Italian.”
Differences Between Italian American and Standard Italian Words
In order to discuss the differences between Italian American and Standard Italian Words, we must start by acknowledging that Italian American words typically come from a Southern Italian dialect. We’re only going to look at a few examples here, but if you want a better overview, start by checking out this blog post over on Mango Languages. To keep things simple, let’s use some vocabulary that we all know and love, food. Food is integral to Italian American culture, and is a major way in which the Italian language lives on in the US. NJ.com even has an article about “How to speak Jersey restaurant Italian.”
(Keep in mind that each person may pronounce these words differently. Even different families in the same community may have slight variations in their pronunciations. These are not strict rules, and should be used as simple guides to help you reconstruct the Standard Italian pronunciation and spelling.)
Take a look at these Italian American words coupled with their standard counterparts:
Brosciutt’ : prosciutto
Gabagool : capacolla
Fajool (think “pasta fajool”) : faggiole
Rigott’ : ricotta
Muzzarell’/muzzadell’ : mozzarella
Ganol’ : cannoli
Mortadell’ : mortadella
Sound Changes
A lot of these pronunciations come from how speakers of Southern dialects pronounce words.
What’s often happening in these differences is that the Italian American version contains the voiced version of many unvoiced Italian consonants. A voiced consonant is a consonant in which your vocal folds (commonly referred to vocal chords) vibrate while you pronounce it.
Take for instance “k” versus “g.” K is unvoiced whereas g is voiced. The process of changing an unvoiced consonant to its voiced counterpart is known as voicing. Voicing happens three times in the example of capocollo (a type of cured pork) turning into gabagool.
There are also many words that get rid of the final vowel: prosciutto becomes brosciutt’.
A Note on Plurals
When discussing Italian food items in the US, people often use the plural noun form to describe a singular quantity of something. In Italian, one cookie is un biscotto, but in English, one crunchy, Italian-style cookie is “a biscotti.” To form the plural in English, you simply add an -s to the end of the once-plural-but-now-singular biscotti. The same holds true for panini, panelle, and cannoli (singular panino, panella, and cannolo, respectively).
Here’s the rule: If the name of your favorite Italian food ends in an -i, it’s singular form will either be an -o or an -e. If the word ends in an -e, it might already be singular, or it will have a singular form that ends in an -a.
Trying it Out on Your Own
Learning Italian is a lifelong process for many. It’s a way that many try to reconnect with their Italian heritage, and to move their vocabulary beyond the names of food and slang terms (I’m looking at you, stunad (stonato)). Try delving into a specific dialect on your own once you’re comfortable enough with your congiuntivo passato prossimo and your consonanti doppie. You won’t regret it. At the very least, you’ll be even more appreciative on your next trip to the deli.
(Thumbnail photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash)
Wellness Tips in Italiano
Learn Italian while taking care of your physical and emotional well-being.
by Brian Alcamo
Oddio! These past few weeks have been shocking to everyone. Thanks to a certain virus, many of us are stuck at home trying to flatten a certain curve. Staying home might not seem conducive to practicing a language or maintaining your well-being, but we promise it is. Learning Italian, or any language, is one of the best ways to stay sharp and give your brain a workout. But what about your body and soul? Try combining a linguistic challenge with some exercise or a mindfulness practice to spice up your language learning and your pursuit of wellness. Here are some of our favorite online resources to get you started!
Physical Wellbeing takes a two-pronged approach. The first is healthy eating, which is a topic so large that we don’t have the time to cover it in this post (keep your eyes on the JP Linguistics blog for that one!) The second is exercise.
Exercise: If you’re looking for a workout video in Italian, you’re in luck! It turns out that Italians exercise just like you and me, and they have the twenty minute Zumba promotional trial workout to prove it. There’s also FixFit, a mobile application and YouTube channel with over 1,000 workout tutorials to choose from. If Instagram is more your speed, feel free to give Paolo Fontana a follow. He’s a trainer at Barry’s Milan, and has an Instagram Story Highlight called “Quarantine 🔥” with an at home workout in Italian. Train your glutes and your imperative conjugations tutti insieme!
Here are a few vocabulary words to get you started.
Allenamento = workout
Riscaldamento = warm up
Rilassarsi = to cool down
Sudare = to sweat
Allungare = to stretch
Emotional Wellbeing: One of my favorite techniques to better my emotional wellbeing is a good ole mindfulness meditation practice. Popularized by apps like Calm and Headspace, this is a great way to learn how to work with the ebbs and flows of your personal emotional tapestry, during or not during a global pandemic.
If you want to learn a little bit more about meditation in general, check out YouTuber’s Marcello Ascani’s meditation journey, or Alice LifeStyle’s “Iniziare a Meditare”, (and her comprehensive accompanying blog post, for people who prefer to read their Italian). In addition, here’s Dr. Filippo Ongaro's take on why meditation is fundamental to personal growth. His channel is filled with videos that span the spectrum of wellness education, so check it out for other types of content not related to meditation.
Here are some important words to get your meditazione italiana up and running down and sitting.
meditazione guidata - guided meditation
inspirare* = to breathe in
espirare* = to breathe out
respiro* = (n. m) breath
lasciare = to let (since you’ll be letting a lot of thoughts drift away!)
*Lingo Lookout: You’ll notice the root “spir” in a lot of words that have to do with meditation. That’s because “spir” is the Latin root for “breath,” and meditation is all about the breath. In English, you can find the root in words such as “spirit,” “conspire,” and “aspire.”
The internet is filled to the brim with videos geared towards helping you get and stay as fit as you can be. Coupled with the allenamento mentale of practicing your Italian listening skills will help keep you motivated educationally and energetically. We at JP Linguistics also want to take the time to send love to everyone who’s battling the coronavirus, and say a big grazie mille to healthcare professionals across the globe.
Practice these words with our quizlet set.
(Thumbnail Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash)
Italian Dialect Or Language
Interestingly enough, Italian dialects are not truly dialects…
The Italian language is the only official language of Italy. Until 1861, however, Italy was a loose network of small states with each having own language. One of the unifying forces at the time was the Roman Catholic Church, and this year the Sa die da Sardigna (the Sardinian National Day) Mass, was celebrated in the “limba” dialect, a variant of the Sardinian language.
While the history behind the official usage of Italian is a long one, essentially, when the Savoy Kingdom unified all these states under its crown, the decision was made that the literary Florentine variant of Italian would become standard across the country. A major factor in this decision was that Florentine literature (Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio to name a few) was read widely throughout Italy, and therefore was considered part of the national identity.
The newly standard language was taught in schools as part of a federal schooling program that made the instruction mandatory everywhere, however the usage of regional languages persisted and remain an integral part of Italy’s regional cultures.
Interestingly enough, Italian dialects are not truly dialects as a dialect is a variant of a codified language and many of these “dialects” developed independently with their own grammar and vocabularies. This would technically classify them as their own languages. Currently, there are 32 minority languages, all of them derived from the Latin.
For more info on each of the minority languages, click here!
We hope you've enjoyed learning about what denotes Dialect or Language in Italian! Ready to delve more into not only the Italian language, but the culture that it was born of? Our culturally infused group classes with native instructors are sure to put you on the path to fluency faster than you may think possible. Click below to learn more!
5 Phrases You Need to Know If You’re Spending Time in Italy This Holiday Season
The holiday season is a hoot and a holler wherever you are, but if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Italy from December to early January, get acquainted with the language of their favorite traditions.
By Brian Alcamo
Buone feste, ragazzi! The holiday season is a hoot and a holler wherever you are, but if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Italy from December to early January, get acquainted with the language of their favorite traditions.
Panettone
Panettone is a sweet bread originally from Milan that can be embellished with fruit, nuts, or chocolate. It’s a super popular desert around the holidays. Since it’s a super popular desert, and since you’re in Italy, it’s also a super popular breakfast. All you have to do is dip it in your caffè (link to coffee article) while you say buongiorno.
La Vigilia di Natale
Source: http://www.grandvoyageitaly.com/piazza/feast-of-the-seven-fishes-on-christmas-eve-la-vigilia-di-natale
La Vigilia di Natale means Christmas Eve. Now, now, now. You might think I’m about to tell you about the wonders of a big Italian Christmas Eve dinner composed of exactly seven fish that each represent a Catholic sacrament. Unfortunately, this Christmas Eve “Feast of the Seven Fishes” is an Italian-American tradition. You’ll still find big Christmas Eve dinners all over the boot-shaped peninsula, but don’t expect to eat seven scrumptious swimmers plucked straight out of the Adriatic.
La Befana
La Befana is Italy’s answer to all this Santa Clause (babbo natale) nonsense. She’s a witch who rides her broomstick over Italy on January 5th, the night before the Epiphany, to dole out gifts to all the well-behaved bambini. It’s pretty chic that La Befana takes Christmas Eve off for herself, since every witch needs to spend some of the holiday season relaxing with friends and family.
Cioccolata Calda
If you don’t want to dip your panettone in an espresso, try una cioccolata calda, or hot chocolate. In Italy, hot chocolate is typically made with melted chocolate instead of powder, so you’re in for a real treat.
Il Capodanno
Capodanno is how you say New Year’s Day. It’s a compound word meaning “leader of the year,” since capo is the italian word for “leader,” and anno means “year.” Il Capodanno is lovely, but if you’re more of a festaiolo (party animal), you may be more interested in La Vigilia di Capodanno. It’s celebrated similarly to how it’s celebrated in the US, with bonfires and fuoco d’artificio (fireworks), and is a whole lot of fun. When you wake up on capodanno, be sure to remember to wish your friends and family a buon anno (Happy New Years).
If you’re flying to Italy this holiday season, make sure you bring all the regular items on your your linguistic checklist: your sure-fire indicativo, your ever-necessary bagno, and your most apologetic scusa. In addition, make sure you bring these couple words with you in your carry on. And, if all else fails, don’t be afraid to simply employ your best “Panettone, per favore?”
7 Ways to Order Coffee in Italy
Italians love their coffee, and so do New Yorkers! How accurate is your order? Check out our latest post and see if you have been a coffee savant or not this whole time.
7 Ways To Order Coffee in Italy
In Italy, you may frequently find yourself at a bar before noon. Not because you’re getting crunk under the Tuscan sun (no judgement), but because in Italian, the word bar is associated with coffee. If you find yourself at one of these bar italiani, here are seven Italian coffee orders to help you jump right over that language barrier and get your caffeine fix faster than you can say buona mattina.
1. Un caffè macchiato: ALERT for those of you not in the know, this particular turn of phrase will not get you your Starbucks-style macchiato with five pumps of caramel and enough milk to nurse a baby. What it will get you is a cute little espresso cup filled with… espresso, and a little dollop of steamed milk on the top. That’s because in Italian, the verb macchiare means “to stain,” so if you order a caffè macchiato, that’s all you’ll get. A stain. For those of you who would like to drink out of the cute little espresso cups but don’t want the full-force taste of espresso (which can be overwhelming to many a palate), a caffè macchiato is a great foray into tiny-cup culture.
2. Un latte macchiato: Maybe you’re getting the hang of this verb macchiare and can already figure out what a latte macchiato is. If not, un latte macchiato is a nice big cup of steamed milk stained with a shot of espresso. This is more in line with the “lattes” and “macchiatos” in the good ole’ USA and will taste just like home (but probably better because you’re in Italy taking in la dolce vita).
3. Un cappuccino: Like pecorino, gelato, and prosciutto, cappuccino stays the same wherever you go. One note on the difference between un cappuccino and un latte macchiato: un cappuccino has a much higher ratio of milk foam to actual milk. This is reflected in the name, since cappuccino means “little hat.” If the delicious taste doesn’t get you to drink one, the adorable imagery of that name just might.
4. Un caffè ristretto: This is for those of you who love that strong espresso flavor and want it even stronger. Ristretto comes from the verb ristringere which means “to concentrate,” and the flavor of this coffee order is the perfect way to taste the meaning of that verb.
5. Un caffè lungo: If you like the taste of espresso, don’t like milk, and still want a ~shot~ at participating in tiny-cup culture, perhaps un caffè lungo is right for you. To make a lungo, the barista pulls the shot for a longer (lungo = long!) period of time, thus using more water for a less potent shot of espresso.
6. Un caffè americano: At the end of the “how much hot water can we put in a shot of espresso” spectrum is un caffè americano. This is the closest equivalent that many espresso-based bar will have to your regular American drip coffee. It’s one shot of espresso and a nice helping of extra hot water added after the shot is pulled (unlike a lungo which is made entirely by using the espresso machine) to water things down. Nowadays, if you find yourself in a hipper (read: very hip) part of town, you might just be able to swindle yourself un pour-over, which is exactly what you think it is.
What an Americano should look like…
7. Un affogato: This isn’t really a coffee that you might order at breakfast, but it’s definitely the most fun coffee on this list. That’s because un affogato is really just gelato, aka ice cream, with a shot of espresso poured on top for good measure. As magical as it sounds, it’s even more magical to eat. That being said, the word for this particular order comes from the verb affogare which means “to drown,” so if you don’t like the mental image of your ice cream drowning, maybe skip this one.
Italy is the birthplace of espresso, and you should definitely try some while you’re there. Don’t be put off by the beautiful barista in front of you, waiting patiently for you to butcher is mother tongue. Instead, go prepared and use this guide to get exactly what you want. If you want to learn more about this bella lingua be sure to check out the courses offered at JP Linguistics. In bocca al lupo!
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Gaming Grammar
Through the years, Bregni has used Final Fantasy, Trivial Pursuit, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Heavy Rain and Rise of the Tomb Raider in his classrooms, but one of the most useful games he has found to teach Italian is Assassin's Creed II…
Gaming Grammar
Using video games in the classroom have helped children growing up in the tech age become interested in learning in ways never imagineable. In recent years, teachers have even been able to leverage games that are not geared specifically for learning purposes to create experiences that resonate with students on a much deeper level. One teacher has even found a way to use the extremely popular 'Assassin's Creed II' to teach the Italian language to his students.
Simone Bregni, an associate professor at the Saint Louis University in Spain, began his journey with video games in 1975 when he was 12 and realized as he continued playing into the 1980s that his English was improving rapidly. He began incorporating video games into his labs in 1997 at the onset of a new generation of interactive adventure games in 2009 which brought astounding results to his students. Because these games incorporated immersive environments, students were able to enrich their experiences in both language and culture.
Through the years, Bregni has used Final Fantasy, Trivial Pursuit, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Heavy Rain and Rise of the Tomb Raider in his classrooms, but one of the most useful games he has found to teach Italian is Assassin's Creed II.
"In my Italian Renaissance literature course, for example, students explore Florence as it flourished under the Medici by playing Assassin's Creed II ( which is set in 1476 Florence),” Bregni wrote in a study published in Profession. These games are used to reinforce vocabulary and grammar, and teach students to problem solve in Italian.
He has created a process called Identify, Acquire, Create (IAC) that links specific game chapters to learning goals, prepares students with vocabulary and grammar worksheets, applies them them in the relevant game, and discusses them afterwards with written exercises. In a class called Intensive Italian for Gamers, every student made progress that mirrored two semesters of a traditional Italian course in a single semester, and by the final, students were 3 to 5 points ahead of their traditionally trained counterparts.
As a lifelong gamer, it is no surprise to hear Bregni affirm that “I firmly believe that learning should be fun. The fact that it is fun does not take away from the seriousness of the activity - it's just more effective.”
We hope you've enjoyed learning how Simone Bregni has been exploring language learning through video games in Gaming Grammar! What's your favorite game to learn new languages with? Leave a comment below!
Renting In Italiano
Thinking of renting an apartment (appartamento) in the beautiful country of Italy? Here are a few terms that you must know…
Renting ”in Italiano”
Thinking of renting an apartment (appartamento) in the beautiful country of Italy? As you may have read in our previous article, Italian Casa : Caffè Price, there is an increased interest in living in Bel paese amongst foreigners. If the thought of living, and specicfically renting in Italy peaks your interest, we’d love to walk you through a few terms that will make navigating the process much easier!
First, we’ll review a few different types of contracts (contratti) that you may encounter. The process is different for a student compared to someone hoping to stay longer-term. These long-term contracts are called 'contratti di libero mercato' or in English, free market contracts, which usually last 4 years (if you find that you’d like to renew, you will generally be given the option of another 4 years). ‘Contratti concertati' (mutually agreed contracts) can be used for 3 years as a residential contract (uso abitativo) and also covers temporary use (uso transitorio) at a period of 1 to 18 months.
You should plan to see the term for a landlord (il/la locatore) in your contratti. While you may rent directly from the landlord, it is also advisable to go through a leasing agent (agente immobiliare).
Ok, so you’re ready to sign your contract, but what type of living situation do you want?
A studio? (un monolocale)
A double room? (un bilocale)
A triple room? (un trilocale)
Regardless of your style of housing, be sure to check the floorplan (la pianta del piano) to see what's included (such as a kitchen, bathrooms, etc.) and be weary of truffe (scams), particularly those that ask for a deposit in cash (in contanti). Most importantly, never pay before signing the contract and getting the keys (le chiavi) to the apartment.
Don’t be afraid to ask if the rent is negotiable (trattabile)! You may end up saving as you navigate how to pay for utilities (utenze) as well as additional service charges (spese condominiali). Once you're happy with everything, the only thing left to do is sign (firmare) and begin preparing for the move (il trasloco)!
Divertiti!
We hope you've enjoyed learning about Renting En Italiano! Want to make the process even easier?! Our immersive group classes taught by native instructors will help you not only breeze through the linguistic aspect of the renting process, but help you understand where you would be best suited to live based your desires of the cultural landscape!
Preserving the Language Of the Divine Comedy
It is no secret that ‘English-isms’ have permeated nearly every language in countries across the world. Recently, The Accademia della Crusca, have accused the country’s education ministry of implementing an emerging educational text with dozens of English words and phrases…
Preserving the Language Of The Divine Comedy
It is no secret that 'English-isms' have permeated nearly every language in countries across the world. Recently, those trusted with the preservation and protection of the Italian language, The Accademia della Crusca, have accused the country’s education ministry of implementing an emerging educational text with dozens of English words and phrases. This comes as disturbing news as the threat of “English-ification” grows ever present in the Italian language.
The committee, similar to it’s French counterpart, Academie française, has stated that it was “deeply concerned” that the text about entrepreneurship in business contained the phrases”team-building”, “start-up”, and “case history” among others when they feel that there are Italian equivalents that could have been just as effective. Because this has become “institutionalized,” according to the committee, The Accademia della Crusca contends that the education ministry needs to work to hold Italian language and culture,” in a higher regard, because “Rather than teaching students about entrepreneurship, the text seems to promote the systematic abandonment of the Italian language.”
Academie Francaise
Claudio Marazzini, the president of the academy, said the stated text would be difficult for Italian students to comprehend adding to a long list of points for the necessity to use native words over foreign ones. This linguistic compromise is not without a degree of being lost in translation as the meaning of some English words has been warped to the point where they aren’t recognizable to native English speakers. For example, "mister" has taken a new meaning as a football coach. The word, “location” has also come under fire specifically because there are three Italian equivalents (luogo, sito and posto) that could be used in it’s place.
Valeria Fedeli, the Italian education minister, however, has rejected criticism of the school text stating that her department was "committed to promoting Italian but also believed it was vital for schoolchildren to start learning English from a young age” and that “Italian borrowed words from many other languages, not least Latin and Arabic.”
We hope you've enjoyed learning about how The Accademia della Crusca are Preserving the Language Of the Divine Comedy! How do you feel about the committee's efforts to keep the Italian language as pure as possible? Join the conversation below!
10 Amusing Italian Idiomatic Expressions
We were thrown into the lion's den once and we loved it! Would you?
10 Amusing Italian Idiomatic Expressions
Have you ever been to Italy? If so, you may have heard a few phrases during your travels that caught you off guard. You might have been asked to 'get another pair of sleeves,' or to 'get a crab,' or somebody you encountered may have wished to have been eaten by a wolf. These humorous idiomatic expressions are used quite often in Italian and it may have gotten you to question - "What does it mean? And what is this obsession with animals?" Idioms are a reflection of the cultural traditions, values, and customs. In English, something can happen "once in a blue moon", but in Italian, it happens "every time the Pope dies." Italians will be impressed by your language skills if you can use their expressions in the right context. Dive into the world of Italian idiomatic expressions with us and sound more like a native Italian speaker. Divertiti!
1. In bocca al lupo
In the mouth of the wolf. Italians have a funny way of wishing you luck, and that is by inviting you to get eaten by a wolf. The other person must respond ‘Crepi il lupo’ (‘The wolf shall die’). So... Break a leg or get devoured by a wolf ?
2. Un altro paio di maniche:
Another pair of sleeves. This expression is used as a comparison when the second term is greater than the first. For example, 'saying something is easy, doing it is another pair of sleeves’. It is thought that the expression refers to Mediaeval times, when women’s clothing had replaceable sleeves.
3. Prendere lucciole per lanterne:
To mistake fireflies with lanterns. This saying is used to suggest an easily visible mistake or to refer to a person who is not really intuitive. So if you ever hear ‘Luigi mistakes fireflies with lanterns’, you know Luigi is not that quick.
4. A piede libero:
On a free foot. This refers to people who are on bail awaiting sentencing. In fact, this expression was used in Mediaeval times when prisoners were forced to have their feet cuffed. It can also refer to to an escaped prisoner who is now ‘a piede libero’.
5. Essere nella fossa dei leoni:
To be in the ditch with lions. Here is another unhappy expression involving ferocious animals trying to kill men. This expression is used when someone is in a very difficult and inconvenient situation, and dates back to the Roman Empire when punishment could also consist of getting eaten by lions.
6. Prendere un granchio:
To catch a crab. This means that the end result of something is a lot lower than expected. It can also mean that you have made a big mistake. If you are a fisherman and you are hoping to catch a fish, you’ll probably be disappointed to catch a crab!
7. Patti chiari, amicizia lunga:
Clear conditions, long friendship. This expression is used to refer to an open and honest conversation, in which all parties involved can establish an agreement that will keep the friendship/relationship going strong. For example, if you organise a dinner for friends, you could tell them to bring the wine, because..’clear conditions, long friendship!’
8. Rendere pane per focaccia:
To give bread for focaccia. As everyone know Italians are serious about their culinary traditions and they like to mention them in any context. In fact, ‘rendere pane per focaccia’ means that you respond to an offence with an equally or even stronger offence than the one you have received.
9. Ogni morte di papa:
Every time the Pope dies. This saying may sound really strange, but it does make sense. Italians use this expression to refer to something that happens with very little frequency, so if you are in Rome and you are wondering how often roads get redone, the answer is ‘Every time the Pope dies!’
10. Saltare di palo in frasca:
To jump from a post to a pile of branches means to jump from one topic to another without there being any connection between the two. In English you would use the expression of ‘going on a tangent’.
We hope you enjoyed reading 10 Amusing Italian Idiomatic Expressions! These Italian expressions really reflect the true culture of Italians from the past into the present. Have other Italian idioms you want to add to the list? Don't forget to add them in the comments' section below. Looking for more Italian language & culture? Check out our Italian Group Classes and Private Lessons at JP Linguistics taught by native instructors. Grazie mille!